Of Nightmares and Love
by God's Band Geek
Summary: When Regina leaves Marco to babysit as she has to leave town for a meeting, Henry reaches out to Emma as they both suffer their worst nightmares.


"I'll just be gone for tonight. Marco will be over in about ten minutes to babysit you. I expect you to be on your best behavior. Do as he says." Regina knelt down to Henry's level to look him straight in the eye. It'd been two weeks since she banned Emma from seeing him, and she wanted to keep the whole banned thing going, but she just knew he was still finding ways to sneak around and see Emma. Optically, she scolded him with a fierce glare warning that if he even thought about sneaking out tonight to see her there would be dire consequences. He mentally nodded. "Do we have an agreement?" she asked him aloud moving a stray piece of hair from his eyes.

"Yes mom." He smiled and she hugged him lightly. She never gave him a real hug. She thought she did, but they were far from motherly; far from Emma's hugs. As much as he did not like her he always strove to be kind and respectful in hopes that one day she'll love him like she's supposed to.

She lifted away and grabbed her purse and coat and went for the door leaving a semi-empty I love you for him as she finally left for some conference. Once he heard the slam of her car door and the roar of the engine, he raced up the stairs for his room. He slid through his doorway to his backpack and pulled out his cumbersome walkie-talkie. He pressed the out going button and called out for Emma over and over. Emma happened to be on patrol and wasn't carrying her walkie-talkie. She did happen to run into Marco though. She didn't even realize she was walking toward the mayor's house.

"Emma?" Marco called out from the front gate of the house. Emma looked up from the ground to put a face to the voice and found Marco to be about thirty feet away.

"Marco! Hi"! She didn't know him at all, except that he's a carpenter, and according to Henry he's Gepetto. His age though was something to respect and the very air about him was calming, like a grandfather.

He waited for her to walk up to him. "What'cha doing here this evening?"

"Interrogating doesn't stay in the interrogation room for you I see." He said with a hearty laugh.

After a little chuckle from herself she said, "I didn't mean to ask to accuse you of anything, just wandering what you're doing." She smiled a real smile.

"Well truth be told, I'm babysitting little Henry. Regina is out on business and asked me to look after him for the night."

"You mean Regina's not here?"

"Yeah... Also she gave me strict orders to keep you from Henry..."

Emma's expression showed only hope, but a deep sadness as well. "You know, words can only be heard." Now confusion crossed Emma's face. "They can't do anything but be heard... If you want to see your son, I wouldn't dream of stopping you. Just as long as you clean up your tracks, you'll be safe from discovery."

She looked up to Henry's window. The curtains were pulled shut. She had no idea that Mary found her screaming walkie-talkie and was talking to Henry right then. Then she looked back at Marco who had opened the gate and had a hand out to let her lead first to enter through. She looked back up at Henry's window. Anguish lined her face.

"I just... I don't want to get in any more trouble than I am. I don't want to risk never being able to see him again. I've got to do what's best for him, and right now that's sadly not being with him. Regina hates me enough. I don't need to give any more reason to." She turned her face toward a sad stricken Marco and continued, "Thank you, but I think it's best I keep patrolling 'till my shift ends."

"Well... I'm sorry to hear that, but if your minds made up there's no use in trying to change it. But please remember that if you do change your mind."

He looked up to Henry's window, to which Emma eyes also followed, then he looked back at her. "You know where he'll be."

She smiled and wished him a goodnight and walked away a little ways, but couldn't help but look back and look at Henry's window again. She sighed and kept on walking.

An hour later and it was 7:30. Emma drove up to her home, Mary's apartment, and before climbing the stairs to her room she thought about what Marco said. She desperately wanted to get back in her car and drive to the Mayor's house, bust the door down and steal Henry away from that wicked woman Regina Mills. But she shook the though from her head and walked up the stairs and went in to the apartment.

With the sound of her closing the door, Mary poked her head from the kitchen and smiled big. She put down her knifes and wiped her hands on her apron and rushed toward a tired Emma who just wanted to go to sleep. Mary called out to Emma, but she ignored her, then Mary gently grabbed Emma's arm as Emma took one step up yet more stairs to her room. "

"Emma?"

Emma turned around and stepped off the first step, sleep hanging on her eyelids. She didn't sleep well at all the previous night. "Mary, I just want to take a really small nap. Can we talk later?"

"I just wanted to tell you that Henry was trying to get a hold of you through your walkie-talkie. He said that Regina was out for tonight and that you could finally come over and be with him."

"I know about Regina." Mary's face lit up with wonder. "I was making some rounds tonight and without realizing it I was headed straight for her house. I ran into Marco who's watching him and he said the Regina wanted him to babysit and that she wanted him to keep me away from Henry, but he said that I could be with him if I wanted."

"Why aren't you with him then?." Mary's voice was quiet, almost fearful. She just didn't want to make her roommate get angry which her question was sure to do. But Emma was too tired to be upset.

"I just didn't want to risk being caught, and never be able to see him again. It's better this way." Emma sighed at her lie. It was not better this way.

"I know you're tired, so I'm not going to argue with you. Just go up and sleep. If you feel like eating just holler and I'll bring you a plate. Go get some rest." She squeezed Emma's shoulder with her left hand and Emma, being as tired as she was, went in for a hug. Her guard was completely down. She'd never hugged Mary before. Mary felt a shocked but made sure to squeeze back tightly and soak in this rarity. Emma lifted and said goodnight and left Mary alone downstairs to finish cooking.

Emma sprang up from her slumbers at the sound of an electronic voice. She was grateful for that voice. After getting her breath back she grabbed her walkie-talkie from the night side table right beside her bed. Henry woke her up from a nightmare. The same one that kept her up last night.

"Emma?" She heard Henry ask. A heavy trace of fear in his voice.

She pushed the out going button and said, "Hey Henry."

"Hi." Relief flooded his voice.

"You need something?" She looked at the clock seeing it was midnight. "This late..." She laughed lightly.

"Emma,... I had a nightmare... I need you."

"Looks like nightmares are running rampant tonight." She laughed again.

"Will you please come over here? She's not here. You won't get in trouble. Please?"

She hesitated and mulled over his pleading voice. His words broke her heart. "Okay kid... Okay."

"Yes! Thank you"! She could hear his smile through the speaker.

"I'll be over in a few."

"See ya in a few then."

"See ya in a few." She put the bulky device down and sighed a contempt sigh. She threw off her covers and threw on some clothes and left a note for Mary to wake up to that she was with Henry. She got in her car and drove to Henry's house. She saw the curtains of Henry's window open and she knew there was no turning back now.

She didn't even think about how Marco was probably asleep and she didn't want to knock or ring the doorbell or make any noise at all. Luckily as she stepped up to the door it swung wide open by an excited young boy who flung himself into Emma. Her arms instinctively wound around him tight and every worry she had about being caught disappeared. After ten years without him and now being reunited any time, no matter how short, away from him was almost unbearable. Tears threatened to blur her vision, but she let them sink back into her eyes, and had Henry lead them to his room.

Once in his room he plopped himself onto his bed and moved to the right side and patted beside him to invite his mother to lay next to him. She first sat down on his bed and took off her boots and asked, "Did you're mom say when she'll be back?

"Some time in the evening, maybe earlier, like around two or three."

"Okay." She laid back and relaxed. Starring at the ceiling, she said, "I've got plenty of time." Then she turned to lay on her side and face her sweet son. "So what was your nightmare about."

"Well... It was about you fighting the evil queen... and well you were losing." She saw tears well up in his eyes in the dim moonlight. She wiped a loose tear away from his cheek and he immediately hugged her, burrowing his face into her shoulder. He couldn't stop his tears now. Emma wasn't sure if he was crying from happiness that she was actually alive or if was scared of the thought that she might die if this whole fairy tale, "final battle", thing is true.

Again, she wound her arms around him and let him cry. As she held him she wondered if Regina ever calmed him after he had a nightmare, if she ever held him like this. She never asked.

"It's okay Henry. I'm right here. Shhhh. It's okay." Emma said calming him down dramatically. "Henry?" She felt like she was ready to say it.

He lifted his head and looked at her through his red, puffy eyes. "I love you so much. If anything happens and we get separated again I want you to that I love you more than anything."

Henry was overflowing with joy. He wore a huge smile too big for his face, and he dove back for a tight hug. "I love you too... Mom." The tears that Emma stopped only minutes ago came back full force by his words. They echoed in her mind. She held him tighter as if to prevent the inevitable. Tomorrow she would have to leave and wait another torturous length of time before she could see him again. But for now she only thought of that moment; Henry in her arms calling her mom. She completely forgot about her own nightmare. After about twenty minutes, Henry was fast asleep in her ever loving embrace, and she listened to his steady breathing until peaceful sleep overtook her as well.


End file.
